Township of King

King Township Publishes Performance Data to Enhance Transparency, Accountability and Community Trust

About the Art

Effective information visualization means representing data in a meaningful, visual way that users can interpret and easily comprehend. This initiative, and accompanying artwork, showcases the township’s services using a clean and modern vector style.

Digital artwork by Amy Jiao of Surface Impression. No AI was used in the creation of these original artworks.

The Township of King publishes comprehensive data on its performance to evaluate and continuously improve services, inform decision-making, enhance accountability, and build trust in local government.

The Performance Accountability Program covers two areas: operational services and strategic goals. The operational service accountability stream documents daily service offerings, levels of service and associated standards the municipality adheres to. One hundred and thirty-six performance measures, across five departments and 24 service areas, are tracked and reported in an annual Service Performance Report. They are also shared in a user-friendly dashboard, available online at king.ca/ServicePerformance.

The strategic accountability stream measures progress against corporate objectives using measurable key results in the township’s term of council Corporate Strategic Plan. Achievements and actions are presented in annual progress reports. They are also detailed in another interactive dashboard covering 29 key results across eight objectives and four priority areas, all aimed at improving life in King.

The reports are available in both physical and digital formats, and the online dashboards are updated annually. As part of its ongoing digital transformation, the township is working toward real-time updates.

The township implemented the Performance Accountability Program to address increased citizen demand for government accountability. Establishing, collecting and communicating operational and strategic standards and data on performance enables King to become more results-oriented, improve the efficiency and effectiveness of municipal services, and enhance citizen satisfaction, which is measured through regular citizen surveys. The program is an example of how, with open data and greater transparency, governments can build trust with their communities, improve service delivery and foster greater civic engagement. The township has been contacted by several other municipalities interested in exploring a similar approach.